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JCPS teachers absent less than most nationwide

Antoinette Konz, The Courier-Journal
2:55 p.m. EDT June 3, 2014

Judith Caldwell holds a toy microphone up to Zaid Elmasri as he reads a book out loud while, from left, Owen Wheeler and Lawson Zulu listen during a kindergarten class at Bowen Elementary School. Louisville teachers miss fewer days than most other cities. Caldwell has perfect attendance. May 30, 2014.(Photo: Yi-Ke Peng/The Courier-Journal)

As a veteran teacher, Judith Caldwell knows how important it is that she be there for her Bowen Elementary kindergarteners each and every day — it's why she does what she can to avoid absences.

"It's my obligation to live a life that can be modeled by my students," she said. "A big part of that is being here every day — it's the same thing I expect of my kids."

A new study shows that the vast majority of Jefferson County Public Schools teachers share Caldwell's attitude. Twenty-one percent of the district's 5,773 teachers had perfect attendance during the 2012-13 school year, and only 5 percent were chronically absent, according to a new report on teacher attendance released Tuesday by the National Center on Teacher Quality.

The report, which analyzed teacher attendance at 40 of the country's largest metropolitan school districts, showed that teachers missed an average of 11 days during the 2012-13 year — while JCPS teachers missed only 8.

Keeping educators in the classroom every day is important, the study found, because the more teachers are absent, the more their students' academic achievement suffers notably.

"No matter how engaging or talented they are,, teachers can only have an impact if they are in the classroom," said Nancy Waymack, managing director for district policy with the nonpartisan, nonprofit research and policy group out of Washington, D.C.

When teachers are absent 10 days, student achievement decreases the equivalent of having a brand new teacher, vs. one with two or three years more experience, the study said.

It also found that the cost of teacher absenteeism is significant. The 40 districts analyzed spent approximately $424 million combined on substitutes in 2012-13 — roughly $1,800 on average for each teacher employed to cover absences, according to the study.

Dewey Hensley, chief academic officer for JCPS, says the district monitors teacher attendance to make sure it doesn't get out of hand. Many schools offer incentives to increase teacher attendance, he said.

According to the national report, JCPS is one of 10 districts in the study that includes teacher attendance as part of a broad evaluation measure describing the teacher's competency. It is also considered in employee promotions.

Louisville was among the cities with the lowest teacher absence rates, along with Indianapolis; Washington, D.C.; Milwaukee; and Tampa. Cities with the highest teacher absences were Cleveland, Columbus, Nashville, Portland and Jacksonville, Fla.

"Most of the time, teachers are showing up like clockwork," said Waymack, who co-authored the report. "They have a 94 percent attendance rate at the districts we studied, but it varies significantly from teach to teacher."

The study, based on an average 186-day school year, did not include long-term absences for serious illness or maternity and paternity leave. It broke down short-term absences into four categories: excellent attendance (three or fewer days absent); moderate attendance (four to 10 days absent); frequently absent (11-17 days) and chronically absent (more than 18 days).

Waymack said one practice that seems to be effective for some districts is having a teacher "actually talk to the principal when calling in, as opposed to calling in or logging on to a substitute teacher line."

"These lines can be great for efficiency, but not so great for trying to determine if there is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed," she said.

Stephen Tyra, principal of Bowen Elementary School in Louisville, said continuity in the classroom can't be overstated.

"When you have a substitute, they don't know the children, their learning needs or the curriculum as well as a regular teacher," he said. "Despite their best efforts, it's often a diminished day, compared to having the regular teacher in class."

Reporter Antoinette Konz can be reached at (502) 582-4232. Follow her on Twitter at @tkonz.

JCPS teacher attendance

A new report on teacher attendance by the National Center on Teacher Quality compared 40 of the country's largest metropolitan school districts during the 2012-13 year.